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Condemnation Of Civil Rebellion And Breaches Of The Democratic Processes By Rebels Of South Sudan Ladies and gentlemen of the press I welcome you all to this press conference. As the name suggests, Youth for Democratic Africa is a continental grouping of likeminded young men and women committed to entrenching democracy and democratic tendencies in the African body politic. We envisage and work towards a democratic and united Africa where we are each other�s keeper and where our governments are of the people, by the people and for the people. Youth for Democratic Africa have invited you here this morning to express our profound displeasure at some goings on in Africa today which do not auger well for our democratic advancement and have dire consequences on especially the youth and women. The rebellion that broke out in Africa�s newest country, South Sudan on the 15th of December 2013 has left hundreds dead and displaced hundreds of thousands more. South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in July 2011. It is an oil rich land locked country with a population of about 8 million people. Since fighting erupted last year, over nine hundred thousand (900,000) people have fled their homes and are now displaced within South Sudan, more than eight thousand (80,000) have sought refuge in UN compounds across the country. In juba for instance, Oxfam estimates that eight percent (80%) of the displaced are women and children. Vulnerable populations continue to flee attacks. The international Crisis Group reported on 9 January, 2014, less than a month after violence erupted, that up to ten thousand (10,000) were killed. On April 11, UNICEF warned that the South Sudanese conflict has triggered a serious risk of famine that could kill up to fifty thousand (50,000) children. The country�s former Vice President, Mr. Riek Marchar, was accused of attempting a failed coup d�etat. He however managed to assemble an army of rebel fighters mainly from his ethnic Neur group. Several narratives exist as to what really happened that day the 14 December after an SPLM meeting. Because of our stated neutrality, we would not recount any of the narratives. Our main worry is the rebellion that has now been established. This is an attempt to circumvent the democratic processes and procedure through the use of brute force. The apparent silence of African leaders and African peoples also gives us course to worry. The inactions and actions of African leaders and indeed the world at large have allowed Mr. Riek Marchar rebellion to grow into a major continental nuisance. Today rebellion and the use of violence as a means to attaining, retaining and transferring power appears to have been legitimized in South Sudan. The rebel leader is being given a hero�s welcome in neighbouring countries and he is demanding certain conditions before he negotiates with the duly elected and constitutional government with which he disagrees. This is a dangerous precedent being set and Youth for Democratic Africa wishes to unequivocally condemn it. We believe that decisive and bold steps must be taken by eth world leadership to make bold and emphatic statement that the world no longer tolerates the use of violence and guns as a means to attain, retain or transfer political power and that those who try it would not succeed. They would be shunned and isolated by the civilized world, especially where no serious case for this undesirable intervention has been made. We agree that in certain worse case scenarios, where clear and incontrovertible evidence has been led to suggest that a government has committed crimes against humanity such as genocides and ethnic cleansing, proper military interventions sanctioned by relevant international resolutions may become necessary. In contrast, flimsy excuses as those reportedly being made by Mr. Marchar are not tenable and cannot constitute grounds for internal rebellion. If care is not taken, the unfortunate situation in South Sudan would consume Africa like wild fire; a group of people, dissatisfied with democratic governance in their country would raise up, gather arms and begin killing innocent civilians only to attract attention and be engaged. This definitely cannot be allowed.